Perfect Little Epilogue Filler
by fanfic-addict21
Summary: Ginny is suspicious. Harry is acting strangely, and Tonks and Molly know something about it. What could it possibly be? Dedicated to my friend Alyssa, who loves this ship that I can barely stand.


Harry was acting quite strangely today, Ginny noticed. She was an insatiable watcher of people, having always liked determining why they did the things they did and being able to deduce what they might or might not do in the future. She also liked to match-make for her friends (and enemies, if the situation warranted), and this strange behavior and nervousness was firmly in the "I'm trying to get up the gumption to break up with you for whatever reason" category.

The only problem was, this time it was HER boyfriend. Hard experience and the plight of many others told her that the course of action most likely to keep them together would be to wait it out calmly and patiently, and not bring it up for any reason. Perhaps he was just having a bad day, and she didn't want to assume things and rush him into the "I have found my bollocks and I'm breaking up with you now" stage of things.

She actually really liked him, and if it wasn't for her nominal career as a Reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and the much more time-consuming side job of coaching a small Wizarding primary school's Quidditch team, she would listen to her mother and start getting serious about her current romantic relationship. That, and she still thought she was a bit young to want to settle down as a married woman and have children.

Harry was an amazing young man, no objections there. He was romantic and gentlemanly, but treated her as an equal, not just as a girl. She thought he was perfect. In fact, she had thought that their relationship was perfect. They had their ups and downs, but they had learned how to fight and how to compromise and make up. What, she wondered for the thousandth time, could his reason possibly be for wanting to break up with her? Maybe he thought she spent too much time working… But, no, he worked long hours as well. He was an Auror, and he and Tonks were the most successful team in the entire department. There was no way he would ever cheat on her with Tonks, was there? Highly unlikely.

Ginny Apparated a little ways down the lane from the Burrow. It was teatime, and Molly Weasley had extended a permanent invitation to her family, as well as most of the people who had been in the Order to join her for tea. Ginny always enjoyed walking down the old road between the neat rows of apple orchards and watching her childhood home slowly come into view. It was a beautiful day: birds were singing, the sun was shining, the apple trees were in full blossom, and there was a cool breeze with a loamy hint of the rain they had gotten yesterday. She inhaled the scent of spring time deeply and let her worries slip away.

She shoved the back door open and kicked her shoes into a corner of the back entry. "Mum!" She called out, announcing her arrival. Her mother was most likely in the kitchen, the next room over. At the sound of her voice, a chair clattered on the floor in the sitting room.

"In here, Ginny," Molly's voice wafted out of the sitting room.

As Ginny started through the kitchen, Tonks passed her in a flash of black, purple, and pink. Her expression was that of a cat who has got the cream and is extremely guilty. She barely responded to Ginny's greeting, grabbed the door frame for support while she stuffed her feet into her boots, not bothering to lace them up. At the same time she called "Teddy, time to go!" Quick as a wink she was out the door and gone.

All the suspicions came flooding back to her. "What was that all about, do you suppose?" Ginny asked, going into the sitting room and taking a seat across the table from her mother. "Is something up with Harry?"

Molly Summoned another cup and saucer and rearranged the tea table. "Oh, it's nothing, dear. Don't worry about it. Cream and sugar?" At Ginny's nod she spooned the appropriate items into the teacup and handed it to Ginny. She then launched straight into gossip and stories of her beloved grandchildren. "…and I swear, little Richard was the spitting image of Fred when he grinned at me all toothless with some sort of green goop covering his face and the front of his best Sunday shirt. It about made me cry."

"Mum." Ginny interrupted, using her sternest tone and fixing her mother with the Look. "What exactly do you lot know that I don't?"

"Ginevra, sweetheart," Molly chuckled, "You know that doesn't work on me; I invented it. You have got it down pat, though. Makes Harry quake, I'll wager." She laughed quietly to herself a few moments longer. Ginny sat there stonily and waited for an explanation. Just as she was about to open her mouth to demand one…

A timer went off loudly in the kitchen, screaming, "IT'S TIME TO MAKE THE BREAD! GET THE FLOUR! CLEAR THE TABLE! THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE LATEST YOU CAN START IT SO IT IS READY FOR DINNER! TIME TO MAKE BREAD! BREAD! BREAD! BREA… It continued screeching in an obscenely loud voice all about bread.

"Oh, dear." Molly said apologetically. "It was lovely talking to you, Ginny, but I must go get started on the bread. Just leave those tea things, I'll get to them. Come and see me again tomorrow, why don't you? Don't forget your shoes. That's it, dear. Good bye!" Without stopping to turn off the obnoxious timer, she hustled Ginny out the door and closed it firmly behind her.

Ginny huffed. That had been a blatant dismissal. Her mother obviously didn't want to talk to her. It had definitely not been a coincidence that the timer went off when it did. Everyone thought Molly Weasley was just a housewife. Even though they got their curiosity from their dad, the twins had gotten their talents from their mum. However, Ginny knew better than to try and go back to talk to her mother today.

She went home to her flat and sulked instead. After about ten minutes, it got too boring, because there was no one there to notice her sulkiness. She got the book from her bedside table and curled up on the couch to read for a couple hours.

She was brought out of her thrilling tale by the sound of the front door opening. Harry slid inside and smiled at seeing her curled up reading. She glanced at the window and was shocked to see that the sun was very low in the sky and it was beginning to get dark.

Harry slipped his Auror robes off his shoulders, replacing them with a light jacket. He came over and kissed her nose. "Hey beautiful, would you like to go for a walk? We could go through the park, watch the sunset, and then get some take-away."

Ginny smiled at him. This was the normal Harry. She stood up and stuck her arms into the jacket he was holding up for her. "I didn't realize how late it was. I am getting hungry, and that sounds great. That little Chinese place, or shall we get fish and chips this time?"

They set off, walking leisurely hand in hand. "I was thinking of trying out that sandwich shop that just opened on the corner, actually, but if you don't want to we can go get Chinese. You have a minute to think it over; we're going through the park to watch the sunset, remember?"

"Mmmm," she agreed. It covered everything he had asked her. They stopped on a small rise to look at the beautiful oranges and pinks of the setting sun. Ginny leaned her head on Harry's shoulder. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair. She turned to look at him, smiling, and he kissed her lips. "Harry," she said softly, "you've been odd lately. Mum knows something, and Tonks, and they won't tell me. Nothing's wrong, or anything like that, is it?"

He suddenly looked nervous again. "Ginny, I- Ginny. Okay." He dropped his arm and walked away a few steps, turning his back to her.

Damn, damn, damn, and double damn. Her stupid mouth had run away with her again. She knew better that to ask. She hadn't been intending to ask, but it had slipped out anyway. He was going to break up with her now, she just knew it.

He grabbed his forehead agitatedly, knocking his glasses crooked and mussing up his hair. He took a deep breath to calm down and straightened his glasses. He turned and looked at her, nervous but determined. She could see his scar.

Then he got down on one knee in the middle of the path.

Ginny's heart immediately raced faster than the new line of supersonic Dustoff 001 brooms that the Ministry was testing.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, wilt thou do me the honour of giving me thy hand in marriage?" He asked, stumbling only a little over the ancient proposal that wizards had been using since, well since there were witches to use it on.

A strangled sound came out of her throat, half sob, half laugh, and she felt tears welling up in spite of her best efforts. She tried to sound normal as she gave the traditional reply with all her heart. "The honor of my hand is thine, Harry James Potter."

He leapt up off the ground with the widest grin ever and threw his arms around her. "I love you," they both whispered at the same time.

The sun threw up a last brilliant display of vivid color and sunk beneath the horizon. The lovers didn't even notice.


End file.
